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Published: March 18th 2012
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Guanajuanto is an incredible Colonial City. The large historic area is located in a central valley with numerous museums, tree lined Plazas, opulent Theaters, and meandering pedestrian areas, all connected by underground tunnels which were formerly rivers. The colorful houses line the steep cobblestone hillsides.
On our way from Patzcuaro, we were pulled over by a Mexican motorcycle cop. He wanted to know why we did not have a front license tag and Ray did (He has California plates also)? Ed kept his cool and just kept saying, in English, 1 or 2 plates, it doesn´t matter. He finally gave up and sent us on our way.
We had a nerve wrecking trip through the streets of Guanajuanto. Merrill Campground is on the top of the hillside. The directions in the campground book are given to come in from the North; however we came in from the South. When we came into town several Mexican “tourist guides” offered to help us to find the campground. Ray had a guy help us with directions, but the tunnels and the narrow streets, one way roads and hairpin turns scared the crap out of all of us! We
view at night
across the valley from the campground were all shaking once we got there. Plus, once we were there we had to stop traffic to maneuver into the gates of the park. The park was basically a parking lot where the owner lets people park their cars overnight. But, there was electric, water and bathrooms with hot showers. We were able to walk out of the gates and catch a bus just up the street. In the evenings there was an incredible view from the hillside at the campground. But, you never heard so many dogs barking! It was like being in a natural amphitheater and the barking would just reverberate through the canyon.
We took an interesting tour. It was all in Spanish, so I did my best to translate for Ed. The tour director felt sorry for us because he knew we weren´t interested in much of the things he was trying to show everyone, so when we stopped at an areas where there were several stalls selling souveniers he took us over to where a potter was working clayware. He stopped working in his kiln and showed us how he makes a lamp base. He started with a lump of clay
and using a wheel which he spun with another wheel with his foot under the table, he spun the clay first into a vase shape and eventually into the lamp base form. He was so strong, but had such a gentle touch.
We went on from there to the Mummy Museum. I have to say, one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. The bodies were exhumed to make room for more in the cemeteries. The bodies were stored vertically and this resulted in much better preservation of the skin and bones. The Mexicans have many celebrations celebrating the Dead and Death. It was a unique experience to look at over 100 remains, it took some getting used to, especially the mummies of the babies, and they were hard to look at. The Mexican tradition is to dress the deceased baby in fine clothing in honor of a saint.
We then went to an overlook for a different perspective of the town. The town of Guanajuanto has over 125,000 people + 20,000 students. It is spread out across the valley and quite beautiful. We spent many hours roaming the streets and exploring
the museums to gain a better understanding of Mexican history. The famous artist Diego Rivera was from Guanajuanto, as well as Mexican President Vicente Fox.
On Saturday night we had dinner in the plaza and then joined the CALLEJONEADAS for a night time party. A group of professional musicians leads the crowds through the streets and alleyways while playing traditional music. The performers are dressed in Shakespearean costumes and tell stories between songs relating to the local history. Of course, we couldn´t hear or understand much, but it is a local tradition and it was fun! A roaming party.
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